Mythbusters
The most important news in healthcare: Friday, July 10
Good morning. Today, we’re busting presidentially-propagated myths around the increase in COVID cases and attempting to re-inspire your workout regimen.
COVID cases skyrocket - and it’s not because of increased testing
The pulse:
The U.S. continues to shatter unwanted records: Thursday was the sixth day in the last ten in which the country hit a record number of cases. Amidst the surge, President Trump has adamantly claimed that increased cases are caused by increased testing. This is, in fact, simply untrue.
How do we know it’s untrue? We are testing a lot more.
Let’s start by looking at states that are doing “well” case wise. In New York, from May 25 to late June, testing rose 50%, but cases dropped by 60%. In Indiana, similarly, cases dropped 40% while testing rose by 48%.
In states doing badly, however, the rate of case increase far outstrips the rate of testing increase. Sure, Texas’ tests were up 98% -- but its cases were up 273% over the same time. Florida is even more alarming: testing actually decreased 22% as cases rose by 341%.
At a national level, the case positive rate rose from 5.0% in early June to 8.7% last week. This is a number we’d expect to go down if testing really were the driver behind the increase.
Source: Pro Publica.
Jeez.
We’re not done. If cases were driven purely by testing, we’d be seeing declines in hospitalizations, and ultimately, deaths. This isn’t so, with hospitals in the south and west once again buckling under the deluge of new patients.
In Florida, 40 ICUs across 21 counties no longer have available beds. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott has extended an order to postpone elective surgeries. In South Carolina, the National Guard is helping to insert IV lines and check blood pressure.
In Arizona, Florida, and Texas, deaths are up 69% since June 7.
Bottom line it for me.
Don’t listen to anyone who blames case increases on testing increases.
Source: STAT News.
Exercise keeps the mind young
The pulse:
Researchers at the University of San Francisco have identified a protein, produced during exercise, that helps keep the ageing mind sharp and healthy.
What’s this protein, and how can I stockpile it?
The protein, which is released by the liver into the blood during exercise, is called GPLD1. Researchers showed that elderly mice with high levels of GPLD1 were much better at spatial memory tasks than mice with low levels of the protein. Spatial memory loss (think: not being able to find your car in the parking lot) is often one of the first signs of cognitive decline in humans.
The researchers also showed that the GPLD1 levels are higher in elderly people who exercise regularly.
What’s the implication of this discovery?
There are a couple:
We now have a biological basis for why exercise is good for the brain.
We have a protein that we could potentially give people as a drug to help combat the cognitive effects of ageing.
Point 2 is a challenging one, as mouse studies don’t always transition smoothly over to humans. But broadly, the idea that we can combat ageing either through exercise or through simulating exercise is a compelling one.
Bottom line it for me.
Your afternoon pump isn’t just good for a beach bod: it’s getting your brain swole too.
Rapidfire:
Elon Musk is getting involved in COVID vaccine production: Tesla, as a side project, is building RNA microfactories. For reference, my last side project was picking up groceries on the way home from the park.
The U.S. pulled out of the WHO. Experts have warned that this could have dire global impacts on the spread of not only COVID, but also of polio, tuberculosis, and HIV. Joe Biden has pledged to rejoin if he is elected president.
Testing in the U.S. is estimated to be at 39% of the level considered necessary to mitigate virus spread. 34 states are below target levels.
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